The Concerto, Part 1

This course explores the concerto, this genre we know especially from the classical and romantic periods, from its baroque origins in vocal music to its "codified" classical structure, and also investigates its cultural and social aspects and functions. Examples for study are drawn from the baroque and classical repertoire. Composers will include Gabrieli, Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Haydn, and early Beethoven.

Faculty Bio

Alexandra Amati holds a BA/MA in Slavic Studies from the University of Pisa, and a PhD in musicology from Harvard. She is Professor Emerita at the University of San Francisco, and is currently teaching and doing research at Harvard. She has just finished a book on women and misogyny in opera.

This is a Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes will stream live on the scheduled day and time.
• Classes will also be video recorded.
• You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Wednesday, Jan. 17 and ends on Wednesday, Feb. 21
• Classes meet for six weeks, 1.5 hours per session (1–2:30 PM)
• Videos will post on Fridays in Member Dashboards
• All course materials, including videos, will be available to view and enjoy through March 31

Member Praise for Alexandra Amati

Prof Amati is a pro. This was my third class with her and my husband and I will sign up for more. She had a lot to juggle with the lectures, sheet music, chat comments, music selections, and q&a, and she did admirably!

Her enthusiasm for the subject was strong & clear — I learned a lot!

I learned so much! I listen to classical music, but do not play or read music. Dr. Amati used portions of scores to highlight and explain what was going on in the music. This added a whole new dimension for me — it was great.

Faculty Q&A

• Read an interview with Alexandra Amati from our archive.